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Mar 18, 2016

During Wednesday's meeting of the Minnesota House's Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee, state representative Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, offered amendment H2611A26, designed to make sure that land acquired for wildlife habitat preservation in this year's Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage bill not be planted or otherwise treated with a product that contains a pollinator lethal insecticide, as defined by Minnesota law.

Hansen, who managed a pesticide applicator program at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture before being elected to the House in 2004, holds a B.S. in biology, Upper Iowa University and an M.S, in soil management, Iowa State University. Minority lead on the environment committee, he has emerged as a champion for pollinators. Last month, he published It's time for action on Minnesota's pollinators in the Star Tribune.

Hansen: Thank you, Mr. Chair, just like with a couple of your amendments, I've passed this out of this committee last year, it is saying that land acquired with money in this section, so it's this bill, not previous bills or any future bills, that these [lands] shall not be planted or otherwise treated with a product that contains a pollinator lethal insecticide, and that is one that is on the label that it kills bees and other pollinators, so it is an enforceable choice that te land managers could make, on choosing not to use these insecticide.

I move the ...amendment and encourage its support. I think--I got a copy of the [state] Constitution here and it says that "funds deposited in the Outdoor Heritage Fund maybe spent only to restore, protect and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests and habitat for fish, game and wildlife."

When we talk about these funds we often talk about fish and game and we don't talk about wildlife and the wildlife can be things that you don't hunt or fish for. It can be the small wildlife, the little things, and we need to pay attention to the little things, the things that are at the beginning of the food, because then the things that we hunt may not be there if they don't have anything to eat.

So I think this is a reasonable step on the use of public funds. I think it would help meet the constitutional requirements to protect wildlife, and it's a small step that can be done to protect pollinators with our public resources.

. . .I'd just like to speak against this amendment. While we certainly do have an issue with pollinators, including bees, this is not an appropriate response. There's no scientific proof that this will benefit them in any way and these [pesticides] are very useful tools for agriculture.

Indeed, the artwork at the top of this post is drawn from the presentation at the summit by internationally respected pollinator expert Dr. Marla Spivak, who's been honored by everyone from the MacArthur Foundation to our dear friends at the AgriGrowth Council. Laura Corcoran's charming drawing illustrates the point that foraging areas for bees and other pollinators help them detox and build their immune systems from damage by stressors like parasites, disease and pesticides.

Since Representative Torkelson is listed as having attended the Summit, according to a spreadsheet obtained from the Environmental Initiative, we're not sure how he missed this information.

In a blog post, Better Together for Bees, Greg Bohrer describes the process of small group meetings in which we passed along what we thought were the best ideas around each table. Our first group included a pollinator researcher from the Minnesota Zoo, a biologist from the DNR, a couple of beekeepers, a pesticide activist, and representatives from CHS and Monsanto.

Our top recommendation was "The Hansen Plan" outlined in his commentary, It's time for action on Minnesota's pollinators in the Star Tribune. The report back from the Summit isn't out yet, but it would certainly be helpful for the ongoing committee hearings.

Many species of wild bees, butterflies and other critters that pollinate plants are shrinking toward extinction, and the world needs to do something about it before our food supply suffers, a new United Nations scientific mega-report warns. . . .

One of the biggest problems, especially in the United States, is that giant swaths of farmland are devoted to just one crop, and wildflowers are disappearing, Potts and others said. Wild pollinators especially do well on grasslands, which are usually more than just grass, and 97 percent of Europe's grasslands have disappeared since World War II, Potts said.

There are both general and specific problems with some pesticide use, according to the report.

"Pesticides, particularly insecticides, have been demonstrated to have a broad range of lethal and sub-lethal effects on pollinators in controlled experimental conditions," the report said. But it noted more study is needed on the effects on pollinators in the wild. Herbicides kill off weeds, which are useful for wild pollinators, the report added.

Hansen's proposal is indeed reasonable, removing pollinator-lethal pesticides from one year's worth of Outdoor Heritage Fund wildlife habitat project public lands. It does not ban all pesticides on the public lands, nor does it affect private landowners engaged in agriculture on their property.

Torkelson? We have to wonder if he slept through the morning lectures at the Summit. It's unfortunate that his cry from the heart persuaded his colleagues to reject Hansen's amendment.

Dec 26, 2015

Following the US-Dakota War of 1862, 38 Dakota warriors were executed the day after Christmas 1862 in Mankato, Minnesota. This remains the largest public execution on American soil in United States' history.

Hundreds of people gathered in the cold and the snow at Reconciliation Park Saturday morning, trying to heal.

Some of them traveled hundreds of miles on horseback. Others had spent the night running from Ft. Snelling. Many just wanted to take part in a ceremony honoring the execution of 38 Dakota warriors more than 150 years ago.

Continuing a decades-long tradition, Dakota, Lakota and other Native Americans traveled to Mankato to honor the 153rd anniversary of 38 men who were hanged at the end of the Dakota War of 1862. They also came to preach forgiveness for the U.S.'s persecution of Native Americans in the 19th century, and to move forward with their respective cultures. . . ..

A series of treaties restricted the living space of the Dakota people to an area that could no longer sustain their traditional hunting economy. Promised payments and other remittance to compensate for the concessions were slow to emerge, withheld all together, or syphoned off by unscrupulous traders and others, leaving the Dakota people with nothing to live on—many facing starvation heading toward the long Minnesota winter.

With the Dakota people buffeted by the increasingly dangerous poverty and by the overt racism expressed by many of the white settlers and traders in the region (one trader infamously quipped “Let them eat grass” when informed of the pending starvation), it should not have been surprising when conflicts arose between the two races. The spark that would ignite the war came August 17, 1862, when four young Dakota hunters killed five settlers. In the past, wrote Carol Chomsky in her 1990 article “The United States-Dakota War Trials: A Study in Military Injustice” published in the Stanford Law Review, the young men might have been turned over to the Americans, but the Dakota people were in no mood for ignoring their situation. Instead, a war council was held that evening and a decision was made to go to war, though not supported by all the Dakota leaders. Even the war leader, Taoyateduta, Little Crow, reluctantly endorsed the action.

“In the 37 days of fighting, 77 American soldiers, 29 citizen-soldiers, approximately 358 settlers and an estimated 29 Dakota soldiers had been killed,” Chomsky wrote.

The Minnesota State Historical Society's US-Dakota War of 1862 section, Aftermath, includes a higher death count, but cites Chomsky's study in Trials and Hangings as well as chronicling the suffering of the Dakota people following the war.

What follows is a list, modified from Marion Satterlee’s “A Detailed Account of the Massacre by the Dakota Indians of Minnesota in 1862,” published in 1923. The spellings and translations are as Satterlee recorded them. A photocopy of her list and the hand-written list from Abraham Lincoln of those to be executed is found on a page of Minnesota Historical Society’s U.S.-Dakota War website. The two additional names are Dakota men tried and executed shortly after this mass execution, not on Satterlee’s listing.

Another list, posted by Gloria Hazell-Derby in connection with the 2013 Dakota 38+2 Memorial Ride, lists family heads and family members of the 3,368 Dakota people held prisoner at Fort Snelling in Minnesota after the war and many later forced on a march from Minnesota to the Dakotas. More than one-quarter of those who surrendered would die by the end of 1863, either in the camps or on the force march that followed.

Tipi-hdo-niche, Forbids His Dwelling

Wyata-tonwan, His People

Taju-xa, Red Otter

Hinhan-shoon-koyag-mani, Walks Clothed in an Owl’s Tail

Maza-bomidu, Iron Blower

Wapa-duta, Scarlet Leaf

Wahena, translation unknown

Sna-mani, Tinkling Walker

Radapinyanke, Rattling Runner

Dowan niye, The Singer

Xunka ska, White Dog

Hepan, family name for a second son

Tunkan icha ta mani, Walks With His Grandfather

Ite duta, Scarlet Face

Amdacha, Broken to Pieces

Hepidan, family name for a third son

Marpiya te najin, Stands on a Cloud (Cut Nose)

Henry Milord (French mixed-blood)

Dan Little, Chaska dan, family name for a first son (this may be We-chank-wash-ta-don-pee, who had been pardoned and was mistakenly executed when he answered to a call for “Chaska,” reference to a first son; fabric artist Gwen Westerman did a quilt called “Caske’s Pardon” based on him. [Photo of the Westerman quilt at the top of this post].

Baptiste Campbell, (French mixed-blood)

Tate kage, Wind Maker

Hapinkpa, Tip of the Horn

Hypolite Auge (French mixed-blood)

Nape shuha, Does Not Flee

Wakan tanka, Great Spirit

Tunkan koyag I najin, Stands Clothed with His Grandfather

Maka te najin, Stands Upon Earth

Pazi kuta mani, Walks Prepared to Shoot

Tate hdo dan, Wind Comes Back

Waxicun na, Little Whiteman (this young white man, adopted by the Dakota at an early age and who was acquitted, was hanged, according to the Minnesota Historical Society U.S.-Dakota War website).

Aichaga, To Grow Upon

Ho tan inku, Voice Heard in Returning

Cetan hunka, The Parent Hawk

Had hin hda, To Make a Rattling Noise

Chanka hdo, Near the Woods

Oyate tonwan, The Coming People

Mehu we mea, He Comes for Me

Wakinyan na, Little Thunder

Wakanozanzan and Shakopee: These two chiefs who fled north after the war, were kidnapped from Canada in January 1864 and were tried and convicted in November that year and their executions were approved by President Andrew Johnson (after Lincoln’s assassination) and they were hanged November 11, 1865.

Wakantanka Taku Nitawa

We close with a clip from the movie, Dakota 38 + 2, of a montage of the names and consequences, set to variations on Wakantanka Taku Nitawa (Many and Great, O God, Are Your works), set to the tune Lac Qui Parle. The Dakota language lyrics and music were composed by Joseph Renville and published in the Dakota dowanpi kinhymn book in 1842.

As a consequence of the war and public policy about indigenous language (and the religion and culture that it sustained), only a few elders have Dakota as their first language, though the Dakota Wicohan in Morton and other programs work to help new generations to cherish the language.

In her artist statement, she writes, "'Caskes Pardon' is a response to some of the discussions today about obtaining a federal pardon for Wicanhpi Wastedapi, also known as Caske. He helped protect Mrs. Sarah Wakefield, the doctor's wife, during the war but was charged with murder and condemned to die. His name was not on the list of those to be hanged. In the style of retablos, or devotional paintings, this piece incorporates the traditional star quilt with 38 + 2 blue glass beads and represents Caske's prayer for those who executed him in retaliation."

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Out-party politicians have long had to deal with conspiracy theorists on their side — the people who think that the Clintons killed Vince Foster or that the Bush administration helped orchestrate the Sept. 11 attacks.

“Twenty-five percent of my people believe the Pentagon and Rumsfeld were responsible for taking the twin towers down,” said Rep. Collin Peterson, a Democrat who represents a conservative Republican district in Minnesota. “That’s why I don’t do town meetings.”

The Republican Party of Minnesota jumped on the page 2 remarks after the Pioneer Press blog Political Animal shared them in a now defunct post. In GOP targets U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Nelson reported:

It's 16 months before the next election, and Minnesota Republicans say they're mounting a renewed challenge to U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, a DFLer who represents northwestern Minnesota's 7th Congressional District.

They're calling attention to remarks he made to a Virginia-based political Web site. Peterson was quoted saying one in four of his constituents are fringe-thinking conspiracy theorists.

Peterson is one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress -- and one of the safest. He won his last election by a nearly 3-to-1 margin.

But Republicans say Peterson's remarks have made him newly vulnerable.

Peterson recently told Politico.com that he didn't like to hold town hall meetings in his district because so many of his constituents hold fringe ideas, including the belief that the Bush administration played a secret role in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Peterson's comments were part of a larger story on the disruptive effect of the "birther" movement, people who claim President Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States, and so doesn't meet the constitutional requirement to serve as president.

Republicans say Peterson is ignoring his mainstream constituents.

"My phone, and I'm sure the phones here at the party, have been literally ringing off the hook," said Michael Brodkorb, deputy chairman of the state Republican Party. "I think his remarks will provide an opportunity for a first-tier candidate to get in this race. I think today's the start of a pretty serious campaign against Collin Peterson, and I think the 7th CD just became a heck of a lot more competitive than it previously was."

Brodkorb announced today that his party is running a radio ad critical of Peterson's remarks, as well as his recent votes on the federal budget and climate change.

Peterson apologized on Monday for the remarks he made in the Politico article, and this afternoon he responded to the Republican challenge in a statement issued by his office.

"As for the Republican Party's new ad, I think they can say whatever they want. I'm guessing that my constituents are more interested in cutting the deficit and getting spending under control, and getting a health care bill that works for them and that we can afford," said Peterson. . . .

The Minnesota Republican Party is newly energized after the recent elections of Brodkorb and its new chairman Tony Sutton. They're clearly using Peterson's remarks to open political battles on new fronts.

Republicans lost the 7th District when Peterson defeated embattled incumbent Republican Arlan Stangeland in 1990. Brodkorb says he thinks Peterson is in trouble.

"I think Collin Peterson is going to find himself going forward in the eye of a pretty serious storm," said Brodkorb. "First of all, the activist base is pretty seriously energized because of his statement. I think a lot of candidates that we've not had in the past are going to look toward this race."

The Seventh District Republicans--so energized by their new state leadership team in 2009--do not appear to have yet recruited a candidate--or if they have, that person is pretty sneaky. They have had some killer social media, though, as we noted in a number of posts starting in early August:

In the meantime, Bluestem finds our selves taking comfort in the fact that only twenty-five percent of our fellow citizens on the wind-swept prairies of Minnesota's Seventh District were birthers in 2009. To engage in a bit of placebaiting for a moment, this makes us a bit more grounded than those La-La Landers in Congressman Nunes' district, nestled in Fresno and vicinity.

It's possible that the MN07 birther index has climbed to equal the number of wackadoodles in Nunes' turf, but as a devoted creeper of conservative social media in the area, we're not seeing it. Mostly.

Photo: Representative Collin Peterson, picking and grinning as a member of the Second Amendments, a rootin-tootin bipartisan congressional country cover band. Via Peterson for Congress. Peterson represents Minnesota's sprawling Seventh Congressional District, where people aren't nearly as obsessed with political urban legends as those in central California.

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Jan 13, 2015

That's one "good thing" freshman state representative Tim Miller (R-Prinsburg) has learned about "real quick" since being sworn in as a leader a week ago.

Introducing himself to colleagues on the Minnesota House Ag Finance Committee, Miller shared his insight that "I'm learning real quick as a legislator that free food is a good thing."

We've clipped the audio here:

A friend who was watching the hearing in the public seating in the meeting room told Bluestem Prairie that the other legislators sat back a little in their seats at that moment, since the acceptance of "free food" by Minnesota lawmakers is governed by law in Minnesota.

In independent expenditures sent against Miller's opponent and other incumbent Democrats, Republican-friendly outside interest groups also painted the state legislature as a place where officeholders helped themselves.

While promoting his new book, Huckabee told People magazine, ". . . they don't see anything that might not be suitable" in the lyrics and a Beyoncé choreography "best left for the privacy of her bedroom."

Huckabee described the Grammy Award-winning Beyoncé in his book as "mental poison."

After the pop singer's 2013 Super Bowl halftime show, Miller commented on a local radio station's Facebook query that Beyoncé's performance was "selling" something:

who needs a wardrobe malfunction when the wardrobe is already exposing everything and the dancing is selling it.

Never mind that in part of the halftime show, she was singing about putting a ring on it. Let's just hope there's never a Slut Walk at the State Capitol when Miller's around to be offended.

Nov 17, 2013

In If you want your freedom, you can keep it!, his latest column on the op-ed pages of the Albert Lea Tribune, Freeborn County Republican Party BPOU chair Mike "Jerrold" Dettle claims that before World War II, Germans "had been given their freedom through the struggles of previous generations, only to vote themselves bigger benefits including cabarets."

The Minnesota First District Republicans shared the link on the group's Facebook page, remarking that it was ""Freedom earned is freedom appreciated." Another poignant column by Freeborn County MN GOP Chairman, Mike Dettle." (screenshot to the right).

For example, the Weimar Republic (Germans) in “selfish want” bankrupted their nation and foolishly elected a popular leader with the name of Adolf Hitler.

Like us, the Germans had been given their freedom through the struggles of previous generations, only to vote themselves bigger benefits including cabarets. Our own Liza Minnelli mockingly made famous the song that scorned the Germans, “Oh Chum! Come to the Cabaret.”

Liza Minnelli's divine performance in the move "Cabaret" certainly is spectacular evidence for Americans being like the Germans, voting in a popular leader who became a ruthless dictator who practiced genocide on an unprecedented scale, as well as going to war against just about everybody with a handful of allies.

As far as German citizens voting to give themselves cabaret as a government benefit, just like they voted to give themselves Hitler, there's no evidence that Bluestem can find that that ever happened. Rather, the raucous and often raunchy political cabaret scene depicted in the movie and musical emerged after the Weimar Republic's new constitution led to the loosening of censorship laws, and the election of Hitler signaled the demise of the form in all but name.

The National Socialist takeover in the spring of 1933 nearly destroyed the cabaret movement, for most of the entertainers were liberal, leftist, or Jewish. Many of these fled Germany in the first days and weeks of Nazi rule. . . .in the wake of that affair [sly criticism of the Reich], the authorities called for the creation of a "positive cabaret" that would applaud the Nazis' goals and mock those of their enemies. The project, which was totally alien to the spirit of cabaret, was a failure; consequently in 1937, Goebbels banned all political themes from German stages. Thereafter cabaret degenerated into pure vaudeville, the seedbed from which it had sprung in the 1890s (p. 288).

Jelavich writes that while Goebbels sought to rid Berlin's cultural scene of all "decadent" art, theater and literature, he loathed cabaret in particular (p. 230).

Brutal political criticism at "decadent" cabarets a government benefit? Hardly. But we'll give Dettel bonus points for hyperbole and presentism in his Obama-Hitler historiography.

Since readers have negotiated through Dettel's analysis, here's Minnelli's wonderful performance as a reward:

Screenshot: Minnesota First District Republicans loving on Dettel's column. The future belongs to someone, and it's poignant. Or something.

That event took place on August 10, 2013 at the Goodhue County Fair. The producer and Froehlich will have to annotate that sleepy Youtube, since it's not the first Flash Mob in Outstate Minnesota.

Update: Dale Moerke, a knowledgeable source in Luverne, suggested on Facebook that Senator Bill Weber (R-Luverne) can break the news to the Goodhue County Republicans, as he appears in the 2012 Luverne Winterfest Flash Mob video, organized by a local Lutheran church. [end update]

Heck, it's not even the first flash mob at a county fair. Bluestem suspects this crowd has never really mastered search engines.

2012 Douglas County Dancing Corn Flash Mob

We're not sure when the first flash mob took place at one of the fairs in Minnesota's 80 outstate county's but this lively number performed by the Douglas County Corn and Soybean Growers and friends performed at the 2012 Douglas County Fair in Alexandria not only predates the Republican flash mob by nearly a year, but it was well covered by the local and ag media.

Driving through Douglas County in the late summer and early fall is like cruising through a John Deere calendar. Why then does farming take a back seat to the manufacturing industry, which is also prevalent in the area?

It is in part because of that oversight that Katie Satterlie, a self-described farmer's daughter, organized the Douglas County Corn and Soybean Growers "flash mob" that many people were surprisingly entertained by at the 2012 Douglas County Fair.

Dancers gathered at 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 18 and busted synchronized moves to the Peterson brothers' "I'm Farming and I Grow It" song from their video that went viral on YouTube.

"A lot of people think farms are corporate farms," Satterlie said. "We wanted to let people know it's also a family business in our area."

The song is a version of LMFAO's "I'm sexy and I know it" and the brothers' video has almost 7 million views to date. The Peterson brothers live on a farm in Kansas.

The Douglas County Corn and Soybean Growers video has received more than 1,500 hits. Another version combining all five angles that were captured on video is planned to be launched on YouTube.

Bluestem's made happy anytime we see giant dancing ears of corn, which simply doesn't happen enough in this world of tears.

Paul Bunyan Flash Mob 2010

But the 2012 Douglas County Flash Mob wasn't the first in greater Minnesota. Bluestem has found a number of others. There's this July 2010 post, The KBXE Paul Bunyan Flash Mob, which scoops MNSure's PSA theme by three years:

It was a beautiful day in downtown Bemidji. The sun was shining and people were enjoying Art in Park when a Paul Bunyan walked by. What? A Paul Bunyan? There's another! And three more! They're everywhere, what's going on here?

It was Northern Minnesota's first ever flash mob, courtesy of 90.5 KBXE. On Sunday, July 18th 2010, a group of over 50 people gathered at Diamond Point Park in Bemidji for pizza and planning. Then the group set off for the Lake Bemidji Waterfront, dressed in red and black flannel shirts, blue jeans (rolled up of course), a painted mustache and a dark knit cap. The group slowly trickled through Art in the Park, turning a lot of heads and getting even more smiles. The Mobbers then drifted to the Paul and Babe statue, where they froze one at a time. What started as a couple of frozen Paul Bunyan's grew into dozens and people stopped to watch and take pictures while passing cars honked their horns.

Freezing Paul Bunyans? A stroke of genius:

That's not the only flash mob from Bemidji to predated the Goodhue County event. Idle No More staged at more political flash mob in December 2012:

Luverne: 2012 Winterfest Flash Mob

Maybe Alexandria and Bemidji are too big for the Goodhue County Republicans to count as "Outstate Minnesota." No matter. The Worthington Globe reported in Flash mob surprises Winterfest crowd:

Shoppers were shopping or resting their feet, visiting with friends and sampling treats when, what to their wondering ears would they hear? A half-dozen singers spreading holiday cheer!

But wait, there's more singers coming -- a hundred or more -- men and women alike. They're decking the halls in harmonious delight.

It had been done other places, but never at Winterfest; and, based on reaction, it was simply the best.

Planning for the flash mob -- people who come randomly out of a crowd, form a group and entertain through song or dance -- began about a year ago with the hope of pulling off the secret plan Saturday morning at the Luverne Elementary School commons.

The place was bustling with shoppers visiting the more than 100 craft booths, children taking part in Santa's Workshop fun, and vendors selling everything from jewelry and gifts to Christmas cookies and holiday decor.

Barb Antoine, choir director at Luverne's First Presbyterian Church, coordinated the music and assisted the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce in organizing what may have been southwest Minnesota's largest flash mob event ever. . . .

Note how the 2012 gathering isn't billed as the "first" flash mob in southwest Minnesota, only the largest. Luverne is home to under 5,000 people. It's a small town.

Hancock teachers Amy Brown and Char Rustad attended a wellness workshop where they talked about movement and the importance of it to academic achievement. "A Flashmob was brought up and we decided to try it. With the help of our administration, staff, the PE teacher and kids K-12 we did it!! The after affects today are so cool. Very positive influence floating through the school. Great fun was had by all and we’re getting lots of compliments and high fives. The kids are still pretty excited about it" said Rustad.

Bluestem isn't quite sure if this one counts, but they sure are having fun:

Goodhue County Republican Flash Mob 2013

Now that you've seen those earlier moments of flash mob mayhem in Outstate Minnesota, check out the GOP's August 2013 Lee Greenwood Flash Mob:

Does any reader know of a YouTube-verified flash mob that took place a town of 15,000 or under in Outstate Minnesota before July 2010? Bluestem would like to know.

Not surprisingly, this isn't the first time that Martin Luther College (MLC) students' self-expression ran into disapproval by the WELS faithful.

Party in the MLC

Rummaging through MLC closets, Bluestem has stumbled over an old social media tale that involves student self-censorship after a popular dorm homecoming video hit YouTube. The September 18, 2009 MLC Update High School edition reported in Dorm Videos:

For Homecoming festivities, the four dorms put together a video to entertain the student body. (Well, not Augustana— they must have forgotten.) Concord, the frosh and sophomore men, starred NateWordell(West) in a series of misadventures to arrive at chapel on time. Centennial, the frosh and sophomore women, featured Claire Czaplewski (KML) and a team of students on a missionto conquer the Swine Flu Sprite. By far the crowd favorite was the Summit men’s video rendition(pictured) of “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.

The Martin Luther College (MLC) parody of a Fire Island Pines (FIP) parody

The "Party in the MLC video was based on the Fire Island Pines (FIP) parody tribune video of the Miley Cyrus music video for "Party in the USA." Fire Island Pines:

. . .has been a jewel in the gay community for over 60
years, and continues to be the premier vacation destination for
residents and vacationers. Located just 50 miles east of New York City,
The Pines is home to the most expensive real estate in Fire Island.

Here's the FIP version:

While both videos are silly rather than sexy, the fact that the MLC version was based on a gay-friendly video didn't escape notice long from either the LGBT community online nor from the WELS faithful.

To what cultural aspersions do we owe the phenomenon of remaking the remakes of music videos? The Fire Island Pines boys, who created the Miley Cyrus send-up “Party In The F.I.P,” receive their own homage with “Party In The MLC” from a bunch of dormmates at a “homecoming summit.” At, uh, Midland Lutheran College [sic]?

Keep watching, ’cause there’s a blooper reel.

Those commenting are divided about whether the video is homage to the FIP video, insulting to gay men because of the fem stereotypes that the schoolboys prance around, or totally inappropriate because the young Lutherans just aren't cute enough to be in front of a video camera.

A WELS member sent me the link to this video, which makes the previous
one (the statue fight) look positively confessional in comparison.

Familiar names like Huebner and Krause star in this travesty, which
includes prissy lip-synching and crotch grabbing. I thought Michael
Jackson was sick when he felt compelled to do the same, but this is
worse and comes from the WELS "College of Ministry."

Read the comments on the video and notice the great impression made on the audience.

The Wisconsin Lutheran College (WELS when raising funds) student newspaper, "The Sword," ran a Front Page! editorial / story on the MLC video, quoted in part (blue type in original):

But once the video left the context of the MLC
campus, it came under unforeseen criticism from some who failed to see
the humor in the video.

The most pronounced critic of the video
was independent Lutheran pastor and blogger Gregory Jackson. Posts from
Jackson, as well as comments left by the blog's readers, labeled the
actions of the MLC students featured in the video unbecoming to future
WELS pastors and teachers.

These claims were based on the video
from which the creators of "Party in the MLC" took their inspiration--a
previous YouTube video known as "Party in the FIP." Set to the tune of
"Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus, "Party in the FIP" shows a group of
men performing choreographed routines on a beach while lip-synching the
lyrics of the song."

"Party in the MLC" is a parody of the video, using the same soundtrack and many of the same routines.

The controversy over MLC students parodying "Party in the FIP" is derived from the lifestyle associated with "the FIP."

But makers of the "Party in the MLC"
agree with other viewers that none of the actions in the "Party in the
FIP" video would be considered blatant homosexuality. They also admit
no previous knowledge of the reputation of Fire Island Pines. Ben
Reichel, MLC student and video contributor, revealed, "We didn't find
out until two or three days after we posted it that that's what it stood
for. After we learned that we were kind of taken aback."

After learning of the offense caused by
the video, the students decided to remove the video "out of Christian
love" for those who found the video inappropriate. The decision to
remove the video was a personal decision made by the creators of the
video.

Reichel stated, "We all got together as a
group --the guys who were in the video--and we realized that this
caused way too much commotion and way too much negativity, and we all
decided together that we were going to take it down."

After meeting amongst (sic)
themselves, the students sought the advice of college administration.
Reichel continued, "We went and talked to the administration here at
MLC--the president and vice-president--and we got their thoughts on it
too. But we knew before we even talked to them that we were going to
take it down."

Matt Rothe, classmate of Reichel and
video contributor, along with the rest of the students involved with the
video, are ready to put "Party in the MLC" and the attention it has
received in the past; "The group of guys who made this video only wished
for good to come out of this video, and I must express firmly we wish
for no more negative attention from it."

GJ - The WLC student newspaper has a lot of facts wrong. They did not
make any effort to seek clarification. They are now drawing even more
attention to the video and revealing that the students were not at all
repentant, just resentful they got caught.

First of all, a WELS layman was furious over the video, which was posted
on You Tube for all the world to see. Many people provide information
to this blog so the rest of Lutherdom can see it. This layman was unable
to watch more than a minute of it. I posted the video so people could
see for themselves, as he wished.

The MLC students jumped in to defend the video right away, and now WLC
has joined them. Their defense is to attack me, but the video stands on
its own as a dubious production, whether I like it or not.

The defense of the video was so ridiculous that I did a little more
research and found the original, "Party in the FIP." They knew what they
were copying, and they acknowledged it rather quietly in the notes.
Apparently the original went viral right away, thanks to various
homosexual websites.

College students know how to use Google. Where else would they copy
their homework from? Kelm, Parlow, and Limmer have shown that slavish
copying is a good career move in WELS. To plead ignorance about Fire
Island Pines is a bit absurd. All of the sudden these guys just fell off
the haywagon when they landed in Metropolitan New Ulm.

And they thought the FIP video was straight? They should be on SNL, in a skit about their lack of gaydar. . . .

Bluestem is left to ponder what it means that "Party in the MLC" was the overwhelming favorite of Homecoming Dorm Videos at Martin Luther College. We couldn't possibly comment on that.

Screenshot: The article in the September 18, 2009 MLC Update High School edition.

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Aug 08, 2013

Modern Drummer Publications, Sonor, Soultone Cymbals, Hornets Drumsticks, Guitammer Corporation and Deadlock have teamed up with toxic metal preacher Bradlee Dean and the Truth for a New Generation Conference on a drum equipment giveaway.

Those who enter the contest will so not have their email addresses shared with other companies or organizations other than the contest sponsors. Young drummers will be relieved--or maybe not--that they won't be spammed by Truth for a New Generation sponsors like Focus on the Family, the American Family Association or Chick-fil-A.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has rented a mobile
billboard on the side of a truck to schlep around Minnesota's vast
Seventh Congressional District, asking residents to contact their United
States Representative.

Incumbent congressman Collin Peterson welcomes the attention, telling
the Marshall Independent that he views the attention as encouragement
to run again.

This week, some GOP operatives have also been spreading rumors online
that Peterson plans to purchase a condo in Florida and retire from
Congress.

In an interview, Peterson, who turns 69 later this month, denied the
rumors about retirement and a Florida condo and said the recent
Republican efforts to push him out the door were having the opposite
effect.

"I went from neutral on running again to 90 percent just because of
this stupid stuff they're doing," said Peterson about the mobile signs
and retirement rumors. "You can't let these people be in charge of
anything, in my opinion."

In another sign that Peterson intends to run again, his campaign
raised $165,000 in the first quarter of this year, in line with his past
fundraising efforts.

Perhaps those people at NRCC will recruit a candidate sometime soon.

In a hilarious attempt at faux outrage, an pseudonym tries to spin Peterson's comment, "You can't let these people be in charge of
anything, in my opinion" into a statement about the people of the district, rather than the NRCC and its "stupid stuff" like rumors of a condo in Florida.

Bluestem suspects Peterson would be more at home in the Missouri Ozarks near Branson. We can imagine the Second Amendments Hall of Fame already.

May 14, 2013

Bluestem's world headquarters recently relocated to sunny Maynard in order to be closer to the upper Minnesota River, loveliest of prairie rivers.

The local watershed protectors, Clean Up the River Environment (CURE), will be hosting the Minnesota River History Weekend and Minnesota State Water Trails 50th Anniversary on Friday through Sunday. If you're a reader who wonders why the dirty hippies out here make such a fuss about threats to the upper valley's tranquility, consider checking this out:

Friday evening:

Grab some popcorn at Granite Falls' famous local Popcorn Stand and head over to watch a film and listen to great speakers!

with producers John Hickman and Jon Carlson (7 PM). This film tells
the story of people from all walks of life - academics, farmers,
natural resource professionals, anglers, homeowners, students, paddlers,
politicians, and citizen activists - who are working together to solve
the problems facing the Minnesota River. Read more about the film and speakers here.

with Erik Wrede, MN DNR Water Trails Coordinator and special guest Paul Ryberg (8 PM). Minnesota has the first and largest Water Trails system in the nation. Come
learn about the early years of the system, and the trip planning
resources and paddling opportunities that are now available. Plus, special guest Paul Ryberg will tell stories about growing up on the Minnesota River with his
family that will be honored for their efforts to "unleash the
recreational giant of canoeing." Read more about the presentation and
speakers here. Read more about the presentation and speakers here.

PRESENTATION. Reconnecting the Minnesota River by Luther Aadland, River Scientist, MN DNR (9:30 PM). His
work, research, and publications have included a wide variety of topics
that integrate physical and biological processes of rivers and the
design of river restoration, nature-like fish passage, dam removal,
erosion control, and flood damage reduction projects. Read more about Luther here.

Saturday's events include Paddling Theater, with options for riding on large fur-trading style canoes or on your own craft. Sunday is a self-organized paddling on the Chippewa River, Hawk Creek, Minnesota River and Yellow Medicine River meet at Memorial Park.

As a poem, none dare say it's weak stuff, and none seem to have asked the basic journalistic questions: Who the hell is Keith Haugen and where the heck did "Minnesota Blue" come from? A poetry collection? An radio show host's collection? A placemat at Perkins?

He doesn't share Bruce Anderson's conservative politics either. The one Minnesota specific issue Haugen mentions on Facebook is the wolf hunt; as a child he saw frozen wolves piled up for the bounty and can't imagine why people would want to kill the creature. The rest of the songwriter's politics are pro-woman, pro-choice, pro-gun regulation, pro-immigrant, pro-veteran, anti-war.

Minnesota Blue is on a page of "Hawaiian Song Lyrics" linked to the Haugens' Hawaiian Songs website. Aside from the question of geography, the identification of the verse as song lyrics explains something of the "poem's" literary weaknesses. As poem, the meter is loose and the rhymes forced, and the natural history (bears "rule the earth in the Red River Valley") a tad hazy.

Since Haugen's lyrics aren't exceptional as poetry, or even as song (and we do have a state song already), Bluestem wonders why we'd need to go across the Pacific for a song as state poem. This is a state, after all, brimming with talented poets and songwriters.

Bluestem can remember a time when the fields, forests and streets teemed so thick with poets that the op-ed pages of the Star Tribune published commentary urging the establishment of a Poetry Reserve Program patterned after popular farm program of the time. The state would gather excess poems, store them in grain bins while asking poets to cease production, then dole out surplus poems to idle writers, who could edit or publish the manuscripts as they saw fit.

Surely the state of the Rhymesayers, Prince and Dessa, of Robert Bly and Louise Erdrich, can come up with a better state poem, should those state-based poetry reserves prove exhausted; the DNR and Legacy Commission can review the text for accuracy in flora and fauna.

"Minnesota Blue" was written in 1985 by Cordell Keith Haugen as a
tribute to his native state Minnesota. Mr. Haugen was born and raised in
Northern Minnesota. Although he has lived most of his adult life
elsewhere, the poet/songwriter continues to feel pride when he talks of
the land of sky blue waters. "Minnesota was a great place to grow up,
and remains a wonderful place to raise a family," he says today. "I feel
a sense of pride when I read about surveys which rank the state of my
childhood high in the things that really count -- like education,
quality of living and concern for the environment."

YES! This work of art bears recognition

Sally,
you can't forget that C.K. Haugen's poem is a piece of art. We can
argue over whether Haugen knows anything about anything but such a
reading, I believe, does a disservice to the true literary genius of
"Minnesota Blue." Now please suspend the critical thinking centers of your brain as I elaborate:

When
analyzing a text we should always be cognizant of the narrator's
reliability and this regard Haugen gives us plenty of clues over the
trustworthiness of his narrator. The most striking example of this is
his use of the Spanish sestet (AABCCB), a variation of the sestet used
by Petrarch and Milton. Now this deviation is important because Haugen
is appealing to the authority of the canonical poets while openly
STRAYING from such authority. Without becoming too pedantic, let me just
say that he is effectively telling the reader, "Look at how trustworthy
I am - but not really." This, I believe, best accounts for Haugen's
misunderstanding of ecology. In fact, it's not a misunderstanding at
all: It's a purposeful misunderstanding.

I
am reminded of the Jester's role in much of Shakespeare's work.
Although such characters are dismissed and marginalized for their absurd
natures they often turn out to be the most reasonable voices in the
end. In this reading the jester plays an important role and, against our
expectations, turns out to be the most reliable voice in the whole
play.

So
what does this all mean? WHY are there bears in the Red River
Valley? Think about it. Such a notion goes against our sense of
ecological harmony - it seems unfounded and unreasonable. It seems like a
JOKE.

And that's the whole point, Sally.

That
line is an overt wink to the reader asking them to reevaluate the text
with a new skepticism over the "Reliable Narrator" - we aren't being
sung to by Petrarch or Milton, we're being sung to by a Shakespearean
jester. In this new (de)light we must seek out the truth in what we once
believed was "truthful." Now, at this point I can only offer an
interpretation, but the "Bear in the Valley", in going against our
preconceptions, seems to be a metaphor for discord. If that is the case,
it should really inform our reading of "Minnesota Blue" (a title that
is clearly a reference to Minnesota-native Bob Dylan's 1965 song, "It's
All Over Now, Baby Blue"). There is a lack of harmony in the unreliable
narrator's nostalgic vision of Minnesota. Minnesota is in chaos.

And Haugen is leaving us to ask, "Whose Minnesota?"

A native of Montvideo, MN, Joshua P. Preston is a student at the University of Minnesota- Morris. Chair of the Clean Up the River Environment (CURE) board, he serves as an At-Large State Director for the Minnesota DFL Party. He is responsible for the www.AwfulGiraffes.comwebsite.

Photos: Digging into this issue, Bluestem discovered that Lester, the state soil, isn't on the list of official state symbol, whereas this "poem" is (above);Joshua P. Preston (below)

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We have a great deal of respect for Jim Vickerman, an old school prairie populist, who retired after many years of honorable service. Like old-school Northeast Minneaspolis politician Carl Kroening, who retired in 1996, Vickerman opposed the inclusion of gay and lesbians under the state Human Rights Act in 1993 (Donna Halvorsen, "Legislature votes for gay-rights bill; Margin of approval wider than expected with help of some unanticipated IR votes," Star Tribune, March 19, 1993, Nexis All-News, accessed October 25, 2012).

But the rest of that crew? What is the archbishop paying for? And aren't conservatives against scouring cemeteries for votes? This is a political graveyard, and Bluestem isn't sure that some of them are buried in sacred ground.

1) The Bertram brothers, Joe and Jeff, were both called before the
ethics committee in the Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate.

Prior
to Senate Ethic Committee hearings on Jan. 9, Senator Joe Bertram, 41,
resigned his District 14 Senate seat. Local residents testified before
the Senate Ethics Committee on Jan. 3 concerning shoplifting and alleged
bribery charges against Senator Bertram. Senator Bertram pled guilty to
reduced charges of shoplifting in Stearns County District Court on
Sept. 29 but the Senate Ethics Committee wanted to learn more about the
alleged bribe which he had made to Chuck Koshiol, owner of Zapf Leather
and Western Wear, Paynesville.

Following his resignation, Governor
Arne Carlson set Feb. 6 as a special election to fill Bertram’s seat. A
primary election had to be held on Jan. 23 as 10 candidates filed for
his seat. Lynn Schurman, DFL, Cold Spring, and Michelle Fischbach,
R-Paynesville, emerged as the top two candidates in the primary. On Feb.
12, Fischbach was sworn in as the new District 14 Senator after
defeating Schurman 5,800 to 5,457. In the fall general election, the
special election was repeated, Schurman and Fischbach ran again with the
same results. Fischbach won a full term to the Senate.

After almost a year out of the political scene, Bertram is now working for a California legislator. . . .

Like Vickerman and Kroening, Bertram voted against the inclusion of gay and lesbians under the state Human Rights Act in 1993.

Florian Chmielewski, who also voted against treating LGBTQ people as people? Wikipedia tells us:

In 1996, Chmielewski became embroiled in the "phonegate" scandal. It was
revealed that Chmielewski had given family members state long-distance
access codes, allowing them to make phone calls at state expense.
Chmielewski was ultimately defeated for re-election in 1996, after
pleading guilty to a misdemeanor.[2]

Former state senator Becky Lourey defeated Chmielewski in the 1996 primary.

How about the rest? Although former Governor Carlson, a Republican, has taken to endorsing DFLers, he hasn't run under the banner of another party. Not so with this crew.

Putting politics aside, Menning eventually left Minnesota, moving to Salt Lake City, Utah with his family, where he served as pastor of the Mountain Springs Community Church for five years,[8][9] also continuing his work with Friendship Ministries. He also heads Global Partners, Inc., an area charitable organization.[10]

Gene Waldorf represented part of St. Paul in the Legislature from 1977 to 1993, before retiring to Grey Eagle.

Now Waldorf has shed his longtime DFL affiliation — a response, he said Sunday, to the recent actions of Democrats in Congress. . . .

Waldorf considers himself a conservative; he wants to end
congressional earmarks and limit federal spending. But Waldorf says he
never considered becoming a Republican because they also spent
irresponsibly when they controlled Congress.

When former Congressman Tim Penny is brought up, his switch to the Independence Party is reported, as it is part of the record. Ditto with Senator Dean Johnson, who left the Republican Party after being censured by his local BPOU for supporting inclusion of LGBT people in Minnesota's human rights.

Oct 23, 2012

Although MNCD7 Republican congressional candidate Lee Byberg pitch his "Freedom Chorus" concert with singer Lee Greenwood as a "nonpartisan" event, Sunday night he talked about fundraising and voter indexes to the audience of over 1000.

The
choir is wrapping up its tour with a grand finale event in Alexandria
on October 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lake Geneva Christian Center.
Admission is free.

Byberg, who is making his second bid for U.S.
Congress, said his campaign isn’t sticking to the script of TV ads,
phone calls, and direct mail.

“Yes, we’ll be advertising on TV.
Yes, you’ll hear us on the radio,” said Byberg. “But to really connect
with voters we are going big. We are leading a movement, and the Freedom
Chorus is a celebration of what unites us as Americans.”

Byberg has been able to command more attention this year than in 2010
for a variety of reasons. His name recognition is higher now just
because he’s been in the public eye for so long, but door-knocking and
making speeches is only part of his strategy. He published a book this
year (“Builders of Our Land”), has scheduled a concert with country
music star Lee Greenwood (of “God Bless the USA” fame) in Alexandria,
and, in one of his campaign’s more ambitious efforts, is assembling an
area “mega-choir” of more than 100 District 7 residents to sing hymns
and patriotic songs at a few venues around the area.

“The music is symbolic of us coming together,” he said.

Now that Byberg has a more visible platform, he’s trying as often as
possible to broadcast his message, one of smaller government and
economic encouragement. The best way to increase government revenue, he
said, is by businesses and individuals making more money. . . .

Byberg told the Echo and other venues that the Alex concert is "nonpartisan."

Here's a video of select moments from Byberg's 28 minute or so nonpartisan speech:

A friend who attended the event estimated that 1,000 people attended the Lee Greenwood concert and Not A Partisan political rally. Republican activists estimated 2000 in the crowd. While the event was free, those who attended were given a copy of Byberg's ghost-written book with a contribution envelope inside the front cover.

Oct 18, 2012

MNCD7 Republican challenger Lee Byberg has never been shy about his paid friends in the entertainment business. His FEC reports document that endorser and Valley radio talker Scott Hennen had a most worthy business relationship with Byberg.

The Willmar turkey industry executive is making his second bid against DFL incumbent Blue Dog Collin Peterson.

The
choir is wrapping up its tour with a grand finale event in Alexandria
on October 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lake Geneva Christian Center.
Admission is free.

Byberg, who is making his second bid for U.S.
Congress, said his campaign isn’t sticking to the script of TV ads,
phone calls, and direct mail.

“Yes, we’ll be advertising on TV.
Yes, you’ll hear us on the radio,” said Byberg. “But to really connect
with voters we are going big. We are leading a movement, and the Freedom
Chorus is a celebration of what unites us as Americans.”

Byberg has been able to command more attention this year than in 2010
for a variety of reasons. His name recognition is higher now just
because he’s been in the public eye for so long, but door-knocking and
making speeches is only part of his strategy. He published a book this
year (“Builders of Our Land”), has scheduled a concert with country
music star Lee Greenwood (of “God Bless the USA” fame) in Alexandria,
and, in one of his campaign’s more ambitious efforts, is assembling an
area “mega-choir” of more than 100 District 7 residents to sing hymns
and patriotic songs at a few venues around the area.

“The music is symbolic of us coming together,” he said.

Now that Byberg has a more visible platform, he’s trying as often as
possible to broadcast his message, one of smaller government and
economic encouragement. The best way to increase government revenue, he
said, is by businesses and individuals making more money. . . .

Still, the illusion that an event paid by committee fees--with a paid entertainer who is a big-ticket item for a campaign that's over $100,000 in debt--is "nonpartisan" might be put to rest by the media reporting on this campaign event.

Sep 17, 2012

Bluestem's loyal friend Ken Avidor passes along news of the circuit-riding "ministry" of Bluestem's most famous local homophobe, toxic rocker Bradlee Dean (he's based in Annandale, not far from Bluestem World Headquarters in sunny Hutchinson).

Please mark your calendars for the week of September 26-29. Protect
Marriage Maryland and the Maryland Society of Patriots will be hosting a
rally in 5 different counties to bring awareness to critical issues
that will be on the ballot this November. Come out to hear Christian
rockers & radios hosts, Bradlee Dean
and Jake McMillan (the Sons of Liberty) to hear about the Constitution,
our Christian Heritage, and how to bring the youth into the political
process. . . .

....Jim Chiodo, a local Tea Party organizer who
worked to bring Junkyard Prophet to town, [believes] 1,000-plus area
teens will turn out to see the band play and hear its controversial
drummer, Bradlee Dean, give a presentation after the show.

“I will interject only one thing,” Chiodo said, jokingly, before
deferring further comment on the event to You Can Run spokesman Jake
MacAulay. “They better get there early.”

The free, three-hour event is slated for 5 p.m. Saturday at the West Ottawa Performing Arts Center, 1024 136th Ave.

By Chiodo’s estimation, demand for the show will far exceed the
1,000-person limit. Space will be filled on a first-come, first-served
basis.

The $12,000 cost to bring Junkyard Prophet to West Michigan was
largely raised through donations from private individuals and businesses
in the Holland area.. . .

According to the Grand Rapids Press,
sponsors (unnamed) put up $12,000 to bring Bradlee's hate group to play
at the West Ottawa Performing Arts Center Saturday night. However,
there was nothing in the news, blogs or social media about the concert.
So was the concert a success or a flop?

Sunday came and went... crickets. Now it's late afternoon, Monday and we have the answer: Bradlee's concert was a flop.

Jul 27, 2012

Bluestem keeps tabs on tea party chapters in Greater Minnesota so readers don't have to. It's a public service; we wouldn't want families heading out to enjoy the lakes, rivers and prairie suddenly becalmed in a sea of lawn chairs and speeches about the evils of Agenda 21.

Readers should beware of a coming Tea Party "major event" in Alexandria, MN, on September 8 at the Geneva Christian Center. According to a pdf on the Alexandria Lakes Area Tea Party website, a pivotal figure in the movement will appear:

Lloyd Marcus, who calls himself a Proud Unhyphenated American, will be in Alexandria on September 8, 2012, at the Geneva Christian Center at 10 a.m. Lloyd is an Entertainer/Spokesperson/Author/Keynote Speaker and involved in the Tea Party Movement. He will tell you why this coming election is so critical and why he cares!

While Lloyd Marcus is probably not a household name among the hoi polloi, he's a hero among the Tea Party set for writing the American Tea Party Anthem:

Marcus is also the head of a group intended to warm the hearts of non-Obama supporters: The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama.

Unfortunately, according the CNN report, Conservative group to target Romney, Marcus also once held principled objections to having Mitt Romney become the Republican nominee for president:

"If you support the principles of the Republican Party platform, as I do, then it's important that we make sure the GOP nominates someone who has supported and fought for those principles. On almost every single important issue facing America today, Mitt Romney has fought against conservatives and Republicans. He's been a liberal on fiscal issues, a liberal on social issues, and a liberal on national security issues," says Lloyd Marcus, Chairman of Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama, in a statement to CNN.

Those sentiments earned Marcus a mention on the Maddow Show.

However, being a principled Republican and conservative, Marcus has changed his tune as his options to Defeat Barack Obama narrowed. Just last month, AFP's Michael Mathes reported in US health care ruling fires up Romney camp:

"Perhaps the Supreme Court ruling is a blessing in disguise," said Lloyd Marcus, a blogger for Tea Party Express, an influential group in the conservative tea party movement that advocates smaller government and reduced taxes.

"I believe the Supreme Court ruling in favor of 'Obamacare' will unify a majority of Americans to crawl over broken glass and walk across burning hot coals to vote for Mitt Romney."

As troll connoisseurs, we admire the audacity. But Lloyd Marcus doesn't just punch buttons on the right. Of late, he's been putting out guaranteed troll bait for the left. There's the title of a recent column that would make the Allen Quist of the last century blush with envy, NAACP furthers mission of KKK.

And such content:

In the heat of passion during a radio interview, I said,"The NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus and Democratic Party are more destructive to blacks than the KKK!"

After the radio show, I thought my statement may have been a bit over the top. Upon further thought, I concluded that my statement is true. . . .

Ironically, these particular relatives are the upper-crust of our family; teachers, doctors and ministers. And yet, they think me an Uncle Tom for loving my country and not carrying a NAACP membership card. They think it unfathomable that I, a black person, campaigned against the first black president. I pray for them. They are slaves who are not liberated from the Democrats' tiny black box plantation.

. . .over the past several decades, he has become something of a human lightning rod for almost every political, social, racial, sexual and religious tension in American society.

While some in the Alex Lakes Area may "crawl over broken glass and walk across burning hot coals" to catch Marcus's appearance, we're curious just how many folks right and left will take the bait and get outraged at his "a bit over the top" statements or radical inconsistency on Romney. Now, that's entertainment.

Photo: Representative Michele Bachmann and Lloyd Marcus. Marcus asked his readers "have you seen the shock and awe campaign launched by the liberal media to destroy Bachmann, since officially throwing her hat into the presidential ring a few days ago?" Bluestem suspects that, like Bachmann, Marcus cultivates the shocking and nurtures offended sensibilities all the way to the bank. Or Alexandria, as it may be.

July 2012 Sixth Anniversary Bleg Notice: Like what you're reading on this blog? Help support an independent voice from Greater Minnesota:

While the silica sand issue has been brewing for more than a year in southeast Minnesota, Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing, is now seeking to make it a statewide discussion.

The first-term senator sent a letter Monday to Gov. Mark Dayton asking that the state conduct a Generic Environmental Impact Statement to help local counties identify and address health and safety concerns related to silica mining. Howe, who represents three of the five counties in the state that have adopted moratoriums on silica mining, has asked that the state provide up to $1 million to the Environmental Quality Board to conduct the GEIS.

"I believe the state should give the counties and townships and municipalities some guidance on dealing with this mining and transportation of silica sand," Howe said Monday evening, noting St. Charles is also his district.

In the event that Dayton calls a special session, Howe hopes his request will be one of the items discussed.

Read the entire article at the Post Bulletin. Boese closes the story by noting that Sig Anderson, an engineer, urged that Howe champion the study. Anderson has a long history of clean energy activism in the Red Wing area, described in detail in the pages of this pdf from the Minnesota Project.

On April 3, the bill weakening local control, Senate File 270, came up on the Senate Floor, met with strong opposition, and failed to pass.

Floor Amendment Strips Out Provisions in the Bill Weakening Local Government Power to Enact a MoratoriumImmediately after the bill was brought up, Sen. Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) offered an amendment that removed all the language limiting the ability of local governments to enact a moratorium. This was a change in position for Sen. Nelson, who had voted for the bill in the Senate Local Government Committee earlier in the legislative session. Sen. John Sterling Howe (R-Red Wing) rose in support of the amendment, which then passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 57 to 6 (see vote results below).

Even then the Bill Fails What was left in the bill was language placing restrictions on development agreements between municipalities and developers. Sen. Tony Lourey (DFL-Kerrick) and Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville) raised strong concerns with this. Sen. Katie Sieben (DFL-Newport) urged members to vote against the bill. It could not survive its negative reputation and did not get the 34 votes necessary to pass. (Bills need a majority of all 67 Senators to pass. The final vote on the bill was 32 “for” and 31 “against”).

Grassroots Opposition Beat Corporate Special InterestsEvery step of the way, Senate File 270 met with strong grassroots opposition from citizens, township officers, county commissioners and city officials. They all delivered a version of this message: “Minnesotans value local control and do not want corporate rights to trump community rights.” The bill as introduced dramatically weakened the power of local governments to enact a moratorium. A moratorium allows local governments to quickly put a temporary freeze on major development. This power is essential when the community is caught off-guard by unanticipated and potentially harmful proposals, especially those from corporate interests and outside investors, such as frac sand mines, big box stores like Wal-Mart or a large-scale factory farm.

But there’s a difference between Howe and many of the new hard-line Republicans who now make up a vocal minority of the Senate GOP caucus: Although he’s stuck to his principles, he’s also been willing to compromise, a rare practice for some Capitol politicians.

“Compromise shouldn’t be a dirty word,” Howe said when MinnPost visited him in his district recently. “It’s not about compromising your principles. It’s about standing with your principles and yet achieving a result that you can get done.”

Howe has partnered with DFLers – and pretty much anyone else — in an attempt to help shape several key pieces of legislation passed over the last two years. If not for the realities of political maneuvering, his efforts may have stuck — on the Vikings stadium bill, on Voter ID and on statewide tax policy.

But the whinging about poor Nick Espinosa as an obscure subject of desire doesn't come until late in the podcast. When Bluestem was asked by friends to listen to the podcast, we noticed something even more striking about Emmer and Davis's lamentations about the tonal horrors of contemporary political discourse.

To prove their points--and then to bash unions while calling for right-to-work-legislation to be passed in Minnesota--Emmer and Davis played a doctored tape of a speech by International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Jim Hoffa. By leaving out references to voting, what was Hoffa's call to the ballot box in November 2012 becomes instead a call to violence.

“Are there any Teamsters in the house? This is Motown, but today, this is union town. We are union, we are workers. That is the message that we send today, and that is the message that we send to America.

There is a war on workers. You see it everywhere: It is in the unemployment, it is in the Tea Party, it is in the people that fight what we believe in. And we see the war in Wisconsin where they try to take collective bargaining from our public employees. We took two senate seats back, we are taking Wisconsin back.

That’s number one. Number two, in Ohio, we are fighting a battle there with regard to taking away collective bargaining. We will beat SB5. We’ve got a million signatures. We are going to win in Ohio — that is our number two. And in Michigan, they are thinking about right to work. It ain’t going to happen in Michigan. No way.

We have to keep an eye on the battle we face — a war on workers. And you see it everywhere there is the Tea Party. And you know there is only one way to beat and win that war.

The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what, they’ve got a war, they’ve got a war with us and there is only going to be one winner. It is going to be the workers of Michigan and America – we are going to win that war. All the way.

But it starts with your involvement, it starts with next November. We’ve got a bunch of people there that don’t’ want the president to succeed, and they are called the Tea Party – the people who don’t want him to do anything right and he is working hard for us.

President Obama is frustrated by what’s going on. Well, guess what, we’ve got the vote. And the answer to what we say is, we remember in November. We will beat the Tea Party and give this country back to workers and America. We can do it together.”

We’ve also got to talk about jobs. I get so tired about people who …(inaudible) these big corporations that send our jobs to Mexico, they send our jobs to China, and they’ve got the audacity to say ‘where are the jobs?’

Well I’ve got news for you. It’s time to bring those jobs back to America and bring America back to work. That’s what we’ve got to do.

We are going to hear from President Obama in a few minutes, and I am so glad that he has come to Michigan because this is where he sees the real America. He looks out on this army of people and you know what I say? President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. President Obama, we want one thing: Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs…(The crowd joins the chant.)

That’s what we are going to tell America…..When he sees what we are doing here, he will be inspired, but he needs help. And you know what? Everybody here has got a vote. If we go back, we keep the eye on the prize, lets take these sons-of-bitches out and give America back to America where we belong.”

Some excerpts from the speech are found at ABCNews.com [link here] in which it's obvious that he's talking about working people will "take these sons-of-bitches out" of office via petition and the ballot box. [Update] Moreover, it's not unusual for campaigns to be compared to war; indeed conservative bagman Charles Koch recently compared the 2012 election to the Iraq War. [end update]

Fox Then Aired Clearly Edited Video Of Hoffa's Comments. Approximately 20 minutes after Henry's initial report on Hoffa's comments, Fox News' Megyn Kelly reported that Hoffa had issued "a pretty harsh attack on the tea party and Republicans. Here's some of that now." Fox News then aired a clearly edited version of Hoffa's speech:

HOFFA: We gotta keep an eye on the battle that we face: a war on workers. And you see it everywhere, it is the Tea Party. And you know, there's only one way to beat and win that war. The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what, they got a war, they got a war with us, and there's only gonna be one winner. It's gonna be the workers of Michigan and America. We're gonna win that war.

[...]

HOFFA: President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march.

[...]

HOFFA: Let's take these son of a bitches out and give America back to America where we belong! Thank you very much! [Fox News, America Live, 9/5/11]

Blakeman: "I Think It's Thuggery At Its Best." After she aired the clearly edited version of Hoffa's remarks, Kelly asked Republican consultant Brad Blakeman to respond. He said, "I think it's thuggery at its best" and "these are the kind of remarks you'd expect out of Tony Soprano, not a union president." Blakeman further said: "When a union president says, 'let's take these son of a bitches out,' it usually means somebody's legs are going to get broken, somebody's going to disappear." [Fox News, America Live, 9/5/11] . . .

It's that sort of discourse Emmer and Davis decry; sadly, they don't seem to know what Hoffa really said. There's no evidence of due dilgence, just two guys repeating a something they heard because it supports a talking point the political agenda they support: passing right-to-work laws.

Willful misinterpretation of Hoffa or just convenient laziness in failing to do the due diligence of checking a tape for accuracy? Does it matter?

The blather about the doctored audio Emmer and Davis bloviate over brought to mind words about voting by another famous Detroit native, pop star Eminem. In 2004, he urged Americans to good to their polling places, knowing that his call for a fight would be taken the wrong way. He wrote in Mosh:

I scrutinize every word, memorize every line I spit it once, refuel and re-energize and rewind I give sight to the blind, my insight through the mind I exercise my right to express when I feel it's time It's just all in your mind, what you interpret it asI say to fight, you take it as I'mma whip someone's ass If you don't understand, don't even bother to ask

Just in case people were confused about what it means to speak and be heard in this country, the artist had a video made. It's dated and it's a different election, but by the end, it's clear what process Eminem is talking about. It's what Hoffa was talking about. Voting, dudes, but perhaps Emmer and Davis didn't hear that part.

* WE Fest has some friends in high places. Rep. Collin Peterson from Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District, which includes Moorhead and Detroit Lakes, was out here Friday. Apparently Peterson is a country music fan and a regular at the annual event. Festival owner Rand Levy said Peterson and Minn. Sen. Al Franken wrote letters supporting Levy’s offer to hold a future Farm Aid concert, organized by Willie Nelson, one of Friday’s performers. This year’s Farm Aid will be held in Kansas City. [link added] The event has never been held in Minnesota.